The Medicine Way: A Shamanic Path to Self Mastery (The "Earth Quest" Series)

By Kenneth Meadows

Book Overview

To the North American Indian, medicine meant more than just a substance to restore health and vitality to a sick body. Medicine was energy - a vital force and source of knowledge that was inherent in nature itself.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1862040222
• ISBN13: 9781862040229
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Element Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Not bad

A little too intellectual for my tastes. One of his own descriptions of shamanism is that it is based on the idea of 'direct revelation' through nature. When you create intellectual systems to model how the world is, you cut yourself off from that revelation, place a wall between you and it. But a decent book for beginners.

Great Book!

If you would like to learn more about the Native American Medicine Wheel Craft of Life this is the book to read!

Great Start to a Spiritual Path

I do not understand how anyone could find Mr. Meadows works to be disrespectful to Native Americans.He states in his books that he has collected his knowledge from numerous sources and is not locking in a "single" aspect of this knowledge, but several. Native Americans (and I am half Choctaw)should rejoice in more Americans learning Native ways.After all, most people no longer have respect for our planet or the other life forms here & the planet and animal & plant species are all suffering from this.Mr. Meadows works are a great start to understanding this and helping find the "Spirit Within".He also explains in his books that Shamanism is a Practice,a way of life, not a religion.I think it's a good read and well worth the time and money!

answered a lot of my questions about life!!

This book is excellent! It DOES come after a companion book, though. I've been a Wiccan for over 10 years, but had never read a book so "dead-on!" It let me realize that the Native American community and their views are-in MY opinion- right up there with what people like Einstein and Prof. Hawking have to offer! Trust me, folks....they know what's up with life, and why we're here!!

Head's up! You may fall into a trap

I have reviewed other books by Kenneth Meadows. I really do like them, but I have to warn readers to be careful. This book suffers from the "Shamanism equals Native American" or the "All Shamans are Native Americans" syndrome. Meadows and many Europeans are being trained in Lakota-esque tradtions and learning a great deal from them. WONDERFUL! However, the outcome is that many of these Europeans become authors and begin writing authoritative books on the subject. I ask the reader to be aware of this ... and then, thus armed, to make much of the good exercises and comfortable language of the book.For a better idea of Shamanism and its world wide impact, take a look at Michael Harner's 'Way of the Shaman' or Sarangrel's 'Riding Windhorses.' The best books I have read about the Lakota people have been by Ed (Eagle Man) McGaa.